NegOcc 5th Dist. on ‘high alert’ for rabies

BACOLOD City – The Provincial Veterinary Office of Negros Occidental placed the entire 5th District under “high alert” status for rabies.

Nine people from Barangay Cabadiangan, Himamaylan City had eaten the meat of a dog suspected to be infected with rabies last week, said Dr. Renante Decena, provincial veterinarian.

The dog they slaughtered and ate was reported to have been bitten by another dog found to be infected with rabies, Decena said.

Officers from the PVO and the local veterinary office in Himamaylan have located the nine people and inoculated them with rabies vaccines, he added.

Moreover, six dogs from the 5th District were found infected with rabies.

All local veterinary offices in the district were ordered to monitor dog bite incidents, Decena said.

The 5th District comprises Himamaylan City and Binalbagan, Hinigaran, Isabela, La Castellana, and Moises Padilla towns.

Rabies is a viral infection that affects the nervous system. Its initial symptoms include fever with pain and unusual or unexplained tingling, pricking or burning sensation at the wound site, the World Health Organization said.

As the virus spreads to the central nervous system, progressive and fatal inflammation of the brain and spinal cord develops, said WHO.

Rabies can be transmitted when infectious material, usually saliva, from an infected animal comes into direct contact with a victim’s fresh skin lesions, the Department of Health said.

While it is “100-percent fatal,” it is also “100-percent preventable” through vaccination, said DOH.

Five deaths caused by rabies have been recorded across Negros Occidental since January, the PVO said.

Decena appealed to pet owners to have their pets vaccinated against rabies.

The PVO aims to vaccinate 70 percent of the dog population in the province by the end of the month.

Some local government units in the province registered a very poor compliance with mandatory dog vaccination, Decena said without disclosing details./PN

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